Cat 7 for home network? Questions

Hi,

I'm moving into my house very soon and have the chance to put in a new home network. I'm interested in creating a cat7 network and i know a lot of you will say that cat7 isn't need and to go with cat6. I have the budget so why not future proof the network!?!

Okay i have a few questions:

How does someone connect cat7 cables to a patch panel? Do i need a cat7 patch panel? Can anyone point me to a guide on the net that explains this with pictures?

I know that a GG45 connector will be required at the end of a cat 7 cable which will allow me to connect a normal RJ45 to it. Terminating ends of a cat7 cable with GG45 seems lengthy and complicated. But i cannot find a simple instructive guide on the net.

What would the drawbacks be off choosing cat7 over cat6 apart from the cost?

Your replies will be appreciated.

Regards

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nelson8403

I'm not sure cat7 would give you any benefit, cat 6 still can operate at 10gbps which cat 7 maxes out at. I believe the only advantage is the shielding? but you can get outdoor rated cat 6 with shielding as well.

Personally I'd use Cat 5e or Cat 6 and use the savings to put wire chases so you can change it out, in a year or two we may be talking about cat 8 or cat 9..

stryder144

Unless you anticipate the need for shielding and 10G speeds, I'd probably go to a Cat6 standard, possibly 6a. The chief practical difference is simply distance when running 10G ethernet. 6 goes to 55-meters and 6a to 100-meters, by standard definition, when you are running a 10G network. Now, if you're building a house with 100-meter walls, then 6a would be preferred.

One chief problem with Class F/Cat 7 cabling is that it isn't currently recognized by TIA/EIA. As such, the standard that TIA/EIA ratifies might make your cables useless. That would, of course, constitute an increased cost to you if you wanted to be compliant. Naturally, a private home doesn't require strict standards for networking, at least there is more leeway compared to a commercial property. Another downside, which is more important, is that not every area has access to consumer 1G internet. 6a is fully rated to 10G, which I wouldn't anticipate coming to market at any time before, say, ten to twenty years. If you follow nelson8403's advice and put in wire chases, you'll be able to quickly pull the old cable when we hit 10G+.

Priston

King_84 wrote: »

How does someone connect cat7 cables to a patch panel? Do i need a cat7 patch panel? Can anyone point me to a guide on the net that explains this with pictures?

What would the drawbacks be off choosing cat7 over cat6 apart from the cost?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up636JoRF4k cat7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njh2sUZmMTw cat6

Cat 7 is not recognized by the TIA/EIA.
You might have to buy proprietary tools since there isn't a real standard.

cat6a is the latest standard from the TIA

http://www.amazon.com/10130484-Berk-Tek-LANmark-10G2-Augmented-Category/dp/B0076B009W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438626499&sr=8-1&keywords=berk-tek+category+6a
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-61110-RW6-eXtreme-QuickPort-Connector/dp/B000U39T7W/ref=sr_1_1?&ie=UTF8&qid=1438626298&sr=8-1&keywords=6110G-RW6
Amazon.com: Leviton 49255-H24 QuickPort Patch Panel, 24-Port, 1RU, Cable Management Bar Included: Home Improvement
Amazon.com: Leviton 41080-2WP Quickport Wallplate, 2-Port; White: Electronics

SpetsRepair

Cat7 for home use isn't worth it
Cat5 or 6 is perfectly fine for home use. I wouldn't know how cat7 could possibly be a better option for the SOHO.
There are some new standards coming to CAT5/6 and this should be a game changer thanks to cisco. NBase-t as its called and it should revolutionize the internet world.
http://www.nbaset.org/technology/
Cisco and Freescale create Ethernet standard - Computer Business Review

"Our mission [is] to increase network speed without the need to upgrade the cabling infrastructure."
In a blog post, he added that the alliance will also work on interoperability, as well as working with standards bodies and ecosystem partners to set down the speed increments NBase-T will use.

King_84

Priston wrote: »

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=up636JoRF4k cat7
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=njh2sUZmMTw cat6

Cat 7 is not recognized by the TIA/EIA.
You might have to buy proprietary tools since there isn't a real standard.

cat6a is the latest standard from the TIA

Amazon.com: 10130484 - Berk-Tek LANmark-10G2 Augmented Category 6A Plenum Cable, Blue Jacket, 1,000 ft. Reel: Industrial & Scientific
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-61110-RW6-eXtreme-QuickPort-Connector/dp/B000U39T7W/ref=sr_1_1?&ie=UTF8&qid=1438626298&sr=8-1&keywords=6110G-RW6
Amazon.com: Leviton 49255-H24 QuickPort Patch Panel, 24-Port, 1RU, Cable Management Bar Included: Home Improvement
Amazon.com: Leviton 41080-2WP Quickport Wallplate, 2-Port; White: Electronics

Thanks for this,
But looking at the video for making a cat6 cable, I thought the end connectors were standard RJ45, why is the end bit different on the video? Might be a silly Q?!

Also, out of interest, I understand how to make a cat7 cable but how does someone make a cat7 patch panel? So how do we connect cat7 to a patch panel? Do we need a cat7 patch? Do they even exist yet?
Is there a video for this? I’ve searched the net but not come across anything.

thomas_

I believe you would need a Cat 7 patch panel, but as others have mentioned it's not an accepted standard yet.

I really like the idea of going with either Cat 5e or Cat 6 and the wires chases. I've read articles online about people testing cabling from different manufacturers that was supposedly rated for Cat 6/Cat6a with cable analyzers and not having them pass the Cat6/6a specs. I think the article mentioned at one point that in some cases the Cat5e cables outperformed the Cat6/6a cables so depending on what brand you bought, "future proofing" with Cat 6/6a was a waste of money.

I'd imagine you'd have a similar problem with Cat 7 cables, but there probably isn't any way to verify that a cable is "Cat7 compliant".

King_84

thomas_ wrote: »

I believe you would need a Cat 7 patch panel, but as others have mentioned it's not an accepted standard yet.

I really like the idea of going with either Cat 5e or Cat 6 and the wires chases. I've read articles online about people testing cabling from different manufacturers that was supposedly rated for Cat 6/Cat6a with cable analyzers and not having them pass the Cat6/6a specs. I think the article mentioned at one point that in some cases the Cat5e cables outperformed the Cat6/6a cables so depending on what brand you bought, "future proofing" with Cat 6/6a was a waste of money.

I'd imagine you'd have a similar problem with Cat 7 cables, but there probably isn't any way to verify that a cable is "Cat7 compliant".

Thank you for this. Any brands you would recommend that would be trustworthy?

Priston

King_84 wrote: »

Thanks for this,
But looking at the video for making a cat6 cable, I thought the end connectors were standard RJ45, why is the end bit different on the video? Might be a silly Q?!

It's a female RJ45 connector. You use a faceplate and keep the cable hidden in the wall. Just like electrical outlets, you don't have wires dangling permanently on the floor...

King_84 wrote: »

Thank you for this. Any brands you would recommend that would be trustworthy?

I've probably used 30+ brands and I'd have to stay Berk-Tek is my favorite.
Commscope and Belden are also good.

King_84

Priston wrote: »

It's a female RJ45 connector. You use a faceplate and keep the cable hidden in the wall. Just like electrical outlets, you don't have wires dangling permanently on the floor...

I've probably used 30+ brands and I'd have to stay Berk-Tek is my favorite.
Commscope and Belden are also good.

Cool, my mistake. I didn't watch the last part of the video when the wall faceplate appears